


Fire Night

by FairyPrincessKjar



Series: ACOTAR: Rhysand's Point of View [1]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: #acotar #Rhys #Feyre #feysand #firenight, #rhyspov, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 14:22:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12819414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyPrincessKjar/pseuds/FairyPrincessKjar
Summary: The first Feysand meeting at Calanmai. Rhys’s point of view.





	Fire Night

**Author's Note:**

> I know this has been done by several other writers, but I can’t get this scene out of my head. I love Rhys’s character in ACOTAR.

Before I could change my mind, I said a silent prayer to the Mother, closed my eyes, and winnowed to the lands of the Spring Court. Not wanting to call any unwanted attention to myself, I purposely arrived on the outskirts of the foothills. It was far enough away from the main celebration that I went unnoticed, but still within easy walking distance of the large bonfires where the faeries would be sure to gather. Before daring to open my eyes, I tilted my face towards the sky and tried to find the peaceful calm that had once come so easily to me amongst the stars. Tonight though, not even the night sky was enough to calm me. Because it was Calanmai and I would finally see her. The girl from my dreams. At the thought of her, tendrils of darkness began curling and wrapping around my body. I tightened the damper on my magic. Now was not the time to indulge in what little scraps of magic Amarantha had left me with. I began to take in a deep breath to steady myself and my eyes flew open. I found myself smiling, really smiling, for the first time in decades. As I beheld the hundreds of faeries that had gathered for the Right, I breathed in her scent again. She had come! I had been correct in assuming she’d be here tonight. The thought made me quite giddy, if I was being honest. But I couldn’t help but wonder….. why was she here? What was she doing in Prythian? That was the very question I had been pondering for months.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and began following the scent I knew as well as my own. My stomach was a roiling mess of excitement, fear, and anticipation. I was playing a dangerous game. If Amarantha found out the real reason I had come…. No she wouldn’t, couldn’t find out. Over the years, I had gained her trust little by little. Each and every vile act done on her behalf both damned me and solidified my persona as the evil lord of Night. Playing the part of her whore had ensured that she trusted me to a point. More so than any other high fae currently Under the Mountain anyways. Coming tonight was risky, yes, but I had to come. I had to see her, meet her, just once. I knew so little about her and didn’t even know her name, but I felt connected to her in a way I didn’t quite understand. I had been seeing this woman in my dreams for years. At first it was just flashes every few months. A fireplace in a dark home. Rabbits in the forest. Hay in an old, decrepit barn. A hand painting flowers on a table, But the images were blurry, out of focus. Like I was looking through the water of a lake and seeing a painting laying at its bottom. Though I didn’t know who she was, the images gave me comfort. I treasured the images I had been gifted, reliving them over and over when the despair and loneliness threatened to overwhelm me. In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have made it these last few years without them.

A few months ago, however, the images began to change. They were no longer blurry and were often her nightmares which contained creatures not of the mortal lands. There was only one explanation that made sense. My dream girl was seeing the creatures of Prythian because she was now in Prythian. The blurriness of what I glimpsed must have been due to the wall that separated us from the mortal lands. Where exactly in Prythian she was or why she had crossed the wall remained a mystery to me. Until a few nights ago that is. I still had no idea why she was here, but I now knew where she would be. In the latest dream she shared with me, I saw bonfires being prepared on rolling, lush green hills. Fire Night was approaching and there was only one place that would have a celebration that large. The Spring Court. As soon as I realized, I knew I had to go. I had to see her. Amarantha took little convincing. The seven times seven years had almost come to an end and she was becoming increasingly nervous. So she believes me to be here in Spring to spy on Tamlin. To see if he had made any attempts to break the curse and report back to her. Admittedly, I wouldn’t normally pass up an opportunity to spy on Tamlin when he was unaware. He was my enemy. An enemy who held our world's entire future in his hands. But Tamlin wasn’t my concern at the moment. She was.

As I stalked up the side of a hill, the drums beat faster and faster as her scent grew stronger. I weaved through the crowd, careful not to draw any attention to myself. As I came to the edge of the trees, I saw her. The woman from my dreams. With three picts running their hands all over her. Nothing but pure rage went through me at the sight. Their mental shields were nonexistent so it took little effort to break into their minds. And people called me a monster? Fuck that. I would enjoy hunting them down later for what they were doing, for what they were planning on doing to my woman.

“Stop it,” she pleaded but they began herding her toward the line of trees. One of them shoved her and she staggered, falling out of their grasp. I moved without even thinking, catching her under her arms and gently set her upright.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” I said to her but looked straight at the picts as I spoke. Let them see me, fear me. I stepped to her side and slipped a casual arm around her shoulders. The three lesser faeries paled, their dark eyes wide. Good. For once, donning the persona of the dreaded Lord of Night didn’t bother me.

“Thank you for finding her for me,” I said to them. “Enjoy the Rite.” I placed enough venom in the last phrase that they flinched. Without further comment they scuttled back to the bonfires. She stepped out of the shelter of my arms and turned to face me. I brushed up against the barriers of her mind. I had to know if she knew me as I knew her. Her thoughts were focused on thanking me and then returning to the safety of the crowd. As she lifted her head and our eyes met, however, a very different thought entered her mind.

Standing before her was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

A similar thought went through my head at the same time. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Never had I felt so many emotions swirling around at once. One thing was clear though. I have been seeing her and her dreams but she hadn’t seen me. I was a little disappointed at the thought, but I wouldn’t let it ruin the brief moments I had with her.

Desperate for any information about her, I asked, “What’s a mortal woman doing here on Fire Night?”

“My friends brought me.” I smirked at her. She was smart for lying to a strange faerie. I felt a stab of pain at the thought of being nothing but a stranger to this beautiful woman, but that was all we could be. Anything else was too dangerous. The drumming was increasing in tempo. Tamlin would be arriving soon and my time was running out.

Still wanting to play the game with her for just a little longer I said, “And who are your friends?”

“Two ladies,” She lied again.

“Their names?” I prowled closer, shoving my hands back into my pockets. She stepped back again and an uneasy look crossed her face. Not wanting her to be fearful of me, I changed approaches.

“You’re welcome. For saving you.” Cauldron damn me, I sounded like an arrogant prick. But it worked. She took another step back but not out of fear. Her eyes flashed and I could feel the irritation rolling off her in waves. Damn me to hell, but she was adorable when mad. I was in so much fucking trouble. I needed to go soon, but I wasn’t ready yet to walk away from her.

“Strange for a mortal to be friends with two faeries,” I began circling her. I wanted to take as much of her with me as I could when I returned Under the Mountain. The thought of returning almost had me faltering. I still wanted to know why she was here so I ignored my panic at the thought of returning and plunged on ahead.

“Aren’t humans usually terrified of us? And aren’t you, for that matter, supposed to keep to your side of the wall?”

“I’ve known them my whole life. I’ve never had anything to fear from them.” I paused when I stood between her and the bonfire. She was definitely stubborn. Cass wouldn’t stand a chance. Mor would absolutely adore her just for that. I chuckled at the thought.

“And yet they brought you to the Great Rite and abandoned you.”

“They went to get refreshments,” she said, and my smile grew. Oh, the tangled web we’ve weaved. She knew immediately she had made a mistake and given herself away with that last statement. Though she was calm on the surface, underneath was a different story.

“I’m afraid the refreshments are a long way off,” I said coming closer to her. “It might be a while before they return. May I escort you somewhere in the meantime?” I took my hand out of my pocket and offered her my arm.

“No,” she said and took another step back. Though she found me intriguing, handsome even, she was still wary. Time was up. I had to let her go.

“Enjoy the Rite, then. Try to stay out of trouble.” I hated leaving her here. As a mortal, she was vulnerable. I shuddered to think what would happen if she ran into Tamlin tonight. Anger and jealousy hit me hard at the thought. It took every ounce of self control to not grab her and winnow her straight to the House of Wind. I had to keep her safe from Amarantha though and that meant walking away. No matter how hard it was.

“So you’re not a part of the Spring Court?” I was surprised she called out to me, thinking she wanted nothing from me but to escape.

“Do I look like I’m part of the Spring Court.” I chuckled at her question. Her innocence was endearing. She had no idea who I was, what most people thought about me. The mask I wore to protect my court.

“No, I’m not a part of the noble Spring Court. And glad of it.” Spring had long been my enemy and I didn’t see that changing.

“Why are you here, then?” It seemed as though she was just as curious about me as I was about her. Could she feel it? The connection between us? The…. I cut off the dangerous thought. Shit. I had to go. Now. For her safety. If Amarantha ever found out….. If she even suspected….. No.

Time to put my mask back on. The mask of the high lord of the Court of Nightmares. Though it cost me, I sneered, “Because all the monsters have been let out of their cages tonight, no matter what court they belong to. So I may roam wherever I wish until the dawn.”

Taking in my cold cruel smile, she said dismissively, “Enjoy the Rite.” I watched her walk away from me towards the bonfire until she was lost in the crowd. Only then did I turn around and walk away. Every step I took had me aching to go back. To Find her again and never let her go. I mentally slapped myself. I had to let her go. This was safer. Besides, if she knew who I really was, she would want nothing to do with me. I found the scent of those three pict pieces of shit. Amarantha would be happy when I returned. Three new toys for her to play with. And I could report that Tamlin hasn’t done a damn thing to break the curse. With one final look back at where I had last seen her, a tear silently fell down my cheek. “See you in my dreams, darling.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I welcome any feedback! Thanks for reading!!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr as illyrianbeauty


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